Longer or shorter Arrows???

[Zradix]

hey everyone! I've got a question for ya. I have two arrows with the same points and all, of different spine range and both shoot straight. What is generally the smarter choice? The longer stiffer spine arrow or the shorter weaker spine arrow? If you've got a theory to go with your answer I'd love to hear it. Thanks a lot!!

[Roy Steele]

Some times I leave my arrows long to pick up weight COUPLE INCHS.Depends on the weight.ButI use'ly start and inch long.All sepends on the kind of shsfts.Some woods heavyer than others.

[Shinken]

What you are asking Z is not that uncommon of a situation, but it would help to have more information

What's the trajectory of each arrow from your bow?

What do you plan to use the arrows for?  Target or hunting?

What is the arrow material?

What is the difference in the mass of each arrow?

This additional information would be helpful in providing a clear answer.

Shoot straight, Shinken

[Zradix]

I'm sorry. I should have said " IF I had..."
I don't have this problem at the moment but have in the past and most likely will again soon. I'm using wood arrows " will be spruce ". I'll be using them for hunting/target. The hunting setup dictates my target setup. Normally were talking a couple inches in length difference in these situations which doesn't add up to alot in weight or trajectory difference. Just sorta wondering what everyone's take was on longer vs shorter arrows. Thank you

[JimB]

I doubt if you will notice a lot of difference unless there is a big difference in physical weight.

[poison arrow]

If you shorten an arrow it becomes stiffer. So you may be achieving basicly the same results. Spine wise the longer stiffer spine might be the same as the shorter lighter spine. Why the tradjectory is the same on both I do not know? Ussually a couple inches is a pretty big change in weight. Maybe the shorter lighter ones are of a denser wood thus heavier.

[JRY309]

I don't see any advantage or disadvantage,a properly tuned arrow is more important then what length they are.For me with carbon arrows I let my tuning dictate their final length.Carbon arrows don't come in as many different spines as wood or aluminum.You pick a starting spine and you adjust the dynamic spine by shooting,trimming and or adding weight.

[Orion]

Nice thing about wood is the wide range of spines available.  That enables you find a spine range that works for you at the arrow length you want.  For example, I cut my arrows so they extend one-inch beyond the back of the bow, plus the point.  After some experimentation, I know what spine I have to get for the bows i shoot.

Personally, I don't want an arrow any longer.  It's not that they don't shoot well if tuned to the bow.  Rather, the extra inch or three of arrow length if I didn't trim them means longer arrows hanging out of my bow quiver, and a longer arrow protruding from the back of the bow before drawn, both of which can get in the way in tight situations.  On shorter bows with bow quivers, longer arrows also end up with their nocks sticking into the dirt when you rest the bow up against a tree or whatever.

[Fletcher]

Given the choice, I would prefer the shorter, weaker arrow.  If I'm wanting more arrow weight, even with wood I believe it is much better to achieve this with point weight.

[Zradix]

Thanks for the input everyone. I've gone the shorter route before. Never tried the longer route. Thought there might be a reason to. Thanks again!

[skarcher]

I shoot carbons at different lengths and adjust the point weight as necessary for good flight. I can't tell the difference between by 29.5" arrows with 125 gr tips, and my 28 " with 145 gr tips. They are almost the same weight and fly to the same point of impact.

The main reason I do this is because I'm basically "economically challenged". If I mushroom the end of a long arrow, I just cut off an inch and use a heavier tip. Doubles the life of my arrows when shooting small targets on a cement floor. (Or should I say shootimg the cement floor that the small targets are sitting on)

[Brently]

I shoot only wood, I start off with a little bit longer arrow so that when the arrow breaks right behind the tip I just retaper it and put the tip on.  I haven't noticed any difference in how they shoot.  That is the beauty of wood arrows!

[fido dog]

Originally posted by Brently:
I shoot only wood, I start off with a little bit longer arrow so that when the arrow breaks right behind the tip I just retaper it and put the tip on.  I haven't noticed any difference in how they shoot.  That is the beauty of wood arrows!

Brently,

I'm getting close to getting my first dozen of nice ones. I will REMEMBER that one. A very good "tip" as I am economically challenged as well......

[Earthdog]

If your shooting split vision or gaping,your sight picture or your gaps will be smaller with the longer arrow.